Inpex extends production life at Minami-Nagaoka gas field

Inpex said it will upgrade facilities at its Koshijihara Plant in Niigata Prefecture, Japan to enhance the rate of natural gas and condensate recovery at the Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field, one of Japan’s largest natural gas fields.

The move will increase the field’s recoverable reserves and extend its production life, allowing Inpex to make efficient and effective use of Japan’s energy resources, and provide a stable supply of energy to the Japanese market, Inpex said in a statement.

Operations will include reinstalling a compressor and separator to improve the efficiency of gas processing systems. The upgrade is expected to increase recoverable reserves of natural gas and condensate by roughly 20%, and extend the life of the Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field by nearly 20 years beyond current estimates.

Since 1984, Inpex has consistently produced natural gas and condensate at the Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field, where the company has been involved in development and production activities as operator. The Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field is located 10 km southwest of the city of Nagaoka, and produces approximately 123 million standard cubic feet of natural gas, as well as approximately 3,100 barrels of condensate per day.

Natural gas extracted from the Minami-Nagaoka Gas Field is processed at Inpex’s Koshijihara and Oyazawa Plants, and then supplied to consumers by way of the company’s 1,400 km natural gas trunk pipeline network extending across the Kanto-Koshinetsu region.

To respond to natural gas demand in Japan, which is expected to continue to grow, Inpex is currently enhancing and expanding its natural gas trunk pipeline, and building a gas supply chain that organically links the company’s global LNG development and production business with infrastructure supporting Japan’s natural gas business.

Press Release, September 22, 2014; Image: Inpex